2002

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The Commissariat Store is one of only two surviving buildings from the convict period in Queensland. It is the second oldest building in Queensland, dated to 1829, the oldest building being The Old Windmill in Brisbane’s Spring Hill, dated to 1828.

The Commissariat Store was originally built by convict labour as a permanent Commissariat Store for the Moreton Bay Penal Settlement. The store procured, stored, and distributed goods and rations for the penal colony.

Today, it operates as the headquarters for the Royal Historical Society of Queensland.

In 2011 a collapsed retaining wall at the Store provided a rare glimpse into Brisbane’s colonial past. Artefacts, including clay pipes, Victorian-era crockery and liquor bottles were discovered amongst the rubble. Stonemasons from the Department of Public Works were called in to salvage original convict-cut blocks from the collapsed wall so that it could be reassembled in keeping with its heritage-listed status.